Take Your Uncle To Work Day!

Lucky me, I have a nephew that is now employed by Dirt Bike magazine. So when he called me up and said, “Hey, want to go on a couple of photo shoot/ride days with us?” I said, “Where and what time!”

So I find out that the photo shoot is for the 2012 models of 450cc Off Road bikes. CRF-X Honda, WR Yamaha, TM, Beta factory edition, Husqvarna and KTM xc-w. It had rained 2 days before and there was snow capping the mountains all around the L.A. area. I was a bit excited to say the least and this is coming from a guy that rides an average of 3 to 4 days a week. Can you imagine someone asking you if you want to ride the latest off road dirt bikes out with almost no time on them with new tires (new meats = a Tom Webbism) mounted for the test.

So we meet up at 6:30 am to drive to the area they are going to ride and shoot photos. By the time we make the trip, meet the other riders and get to the riding area it is already in the 10 am part of the day. The other riders include past 250cc World Champion Danny LaPorte, Current GNCC fast guy Josh Strang, long time photographer Karel Kramer, some geezer named Tom Webb (another long time writer photographer), R.J. Wageman, Dirt Bike Honcho Ron Lawson, Mark Tilley and his uncle yours truly, #33.

Bikes are off loaded, riders’ suit up and we are off. I am not sure what to expect since we are heading up, into the mountains with snow still showing on top. The dirt is one notch below perfect, good traction, no mud with occasional wisp of dust to let the guy behind know which way to go in case he gets out of sight. It was just about perfect for riding in a group. We head up and these guys have obviously been here before! They find canyons that are narrow, long, moist and don’t have a straightaway that goes for more than 50 ft! Then they get to the hills. I see some hills and think wow there must be some guys coming up here on hill climb bikes making these monsters. Nope, just obstacles to go up or down on the way to the places they want to take pictures. After first seeing these hills I start to think maybe I should have asked for a bigger bike. Then I remember that I am on a 450 and start to wonder if it is big enough!

We get to the areas that are exactly what these bikes are designed for and the crew starts to take pictures of the bikes doing what they do best, dropping off waterfalls with ledges, climbing back out through the snow and climbing very large hills before they drop down in groups showcasing all the bikes capabilities. I had the chance to ride all of the bikes and now have a very good idea of how they stack up against each other. Since I am not writing the story or shoot out I can’t put these bikes in any order. You will have to wait for the official Dirt Bike story to do that for you. All I will say is that if I were spending my money after riding all these bikes it would be very hard to make a decision between the Beta and the KTM. I’m just sayin’……………

I don’t know about everyone else but I had such a good time riding and watching the other riders all day long I think I may have to go to the doctor to see if he can remove this silly grin from my face!  I wonder if the magazine has a medical plan that covers that?

A big Thanks to the Dirt Bike crew and the other riders. It was very impressive to have Danny LaPorte and Josh Strang there and not act like the stars that they are. Danny is funny and says now that he is old he gets tired too easy. Josh Strang was a very pleasant young man with a lot of talent that rode with everyone instead of ahead of them. Tom Webb gets cranky if someone roosts his camera bag when he sets it down! All I can say to that one is “placement” homie.  Ron Lawson likes to use me as a tripod for his photoflash strobe because I move on command instead of having to physically move it, lol.  My nephew Mark seems to run out of fuel if you go too long without getting him something to eat and starts to get cranky, fortunately I carry a back pack with a bit of food and candy for the sugar. He recovered nicely.  Maybe I should throw in a Sippy cup just in case….

I found out that when I ride with these guys I need to carry a bit of 2 stroke oil in my back pack even though we were all supposed to  be on 450 4-strokes. But that is another story, eh, Ron!

Test rider debutant,                                                                                   

#33